WEEK OF AUGUST 6, 2007 by Stan Newman on Creators.com

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Wednesday, November 25 Mortified by reports of famine in Ethiopia, Bob Geldof and Ultravox's Midge Ure wrote "Do They Know It's Christmas," and 25 years ago today, some of Britain's top stars recorded the song at Trevor Horn's SARM West studio. Bob George flew …Read more. Tuesday, November 24 It was 150 years ago today that Charles Darwin saw the publication of "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection," which explained evolution and made possible another century of scientific advances. Darwin dawdled considerably …Read more. WEEK OF NOVEMBER 23 Monday, November 23 When he was 13, Roald Dahl got a chance to be a taste-tester for a focus group at Cadbury, along with his classmates at Repton in Darbyshire. At the time, Cadbury and Rowntree engaged in bitter corporate espionage. It all …Read more. Saturday, November 21 Ever wondered what happened to Francis Gary Powers? He was the American pilot who crashed into the Soviet Union, deeply embarrassing the Eisenhower administration. He was traded back to the United States in 1962, for a Soviet spy caught in the U.S. …Read more.

Week Of August 6, 2007

Monday, August 6

Word of the week: "sabermetrician." It is an analyst of baseball statistics, especially for the comparative evaluation of players. The first part of the word is derived from SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research. The word "sabermetrics" (the analysis itself) came first, and was coined by baseball historian Bill James.

Another "three-state" city: Thanks to Dennis Lund of Benicia, Calif., who was the first to tell us about the northeast California town of Washington, in Nevada County. The shape of Nevada County resembles a Deringer pocket pistol, which was a popular firearm at the time of the county's creation in 1851. Is the shape a coincidence? Please let us know if you have any info on this.

Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theatre has hosted such memorable productions as "The Odd Couple," "Annie" and "M. Butterfly." What theater notable once owned the Eugene O'Neill Theatre?

A) Playwright Neil Simon

B) Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber

C) Actor Sir Laurence Olivier

D) Singer Bernadette Peters

Previous answer: In the adult human body, the smallest and lightest bone is the stapes, also known as the stirrup, which is located in one's ear.

TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Stan Newman at StanTrivia@aol.com or on a postcard to P.O. Box 69, Massapequa Park, NY 11762.

Tuesday, August 7

According to the backstory of "The Lone Ranger," the title character's mask was made from his brother's black vest. But according to the autobiography of Clayton Moore, who portrayed the Ranger in the 1950s TV series, the mask he wore was made of plaster, with felt on top of it. For black-and-white episodes, it was purple felt, which apparently made for better contrast.

Unique pronunciation update: Thanks to Ken Clark of Kent, Wash., who sent along "colonel," in which "OLO" is pronounced as "ER." There's an historical reason for this: The word was once spelled "coronel" and pronounced "kor-uh-NEL," which eventually became "KUR-nel."

The Nehi brand of soft drinks is most familiar to today's trivia fans as the beverage of choice (grape Nehi, to be precise) of Radar O'Reilly on the TV series "M*A*S*H." The cola originally sold by the Nehi company is known today by the brand name:

A) Coke

B) Pepsi

C) Jolt

D) Royal Crown

Previous answer: Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theatre was once owned by playwright Neil Simon.

Wednesday, August 8

According to London's "Daily Telegraph," Sarah Brown, wife of new British prime minister Gordon Brown, has never given a magazine or TV interview, in spite of now being "inundated" with such requests. The paper thinks it "unlikely" that she will break her silence anytime soon.

The uncultured screen persona of actor Burt Young, best known for his role as the brother-in-law of the title character in the "Rocky" films, is quite different from reality. The Actors Studio-trained Young is the author of two stage plays, several filmed screenplays and an historical novel. And he is an accomplished artist, whose work has been displayed in galleries worldwide.

The earliest known source of the basic concept expressed in the old saying "You can't please everybody" is:

A) Aesop's Fables

B) The New Testament

C) Shakespeare

D) Abraham Lincoln

Previous answer: The cola originally sold by the Nehi company is known as Royal Crown Cola today.

Thursday, August 9

Small-town celebrity birthplace of the week: Cody, Wyo. (current population about 9,000). "Dripper" abstract artist Jackson Pollock was born there in 1912. The town, named for Buffalo Bill Cody, is located near the East Gate of Yellowstone National Park.

The bingo-like casino game keno involves picking 1 to 20 numbers from a card containing the numbers 1 to 80. Twenty numbers are then chosen at random. The odds of correctly selecting 20 numbers out of 20 are about 3.5 quintillion to one. How long are those odds? 3.5 quintillion is the approximate number of seconds in the total lifespan of everyone on Earth who has ever lived.

A British social psychologist has recently completed the first World Map of Happiness, on the basis of a worldwide survey of 80,000 people, plus analysis of statistics on health, wealth and access to education. According to this study, the three happiest countries are all located in:

A) Europe

B) North America

C) Asia

D) South America

Previous answer: At least two of Aesop's fables, "The Man, the Boy and the Donkey" and "The Father and His Two Daughters," have morals that are essentially "You can't please everybody."

Friday, August 10

Who put the "Tech" in Technicolor? Two MIT alumni co-founded the Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation in 1915. The "Tech" is a subtle tribute to their alma mater, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"Waste-not" whatnot: Visit www.uncommongoods.com to see a wide variety of items for sale that have been made from recycled materials, such as typewriter keys (jewelry), bicycle parts (cafe tables), wine barrels (chairs), beverage bottles (drinking glasses) and the bark of cork trees (pencil cups).

The active ingredient in the Tums brand of antacid is the same chemical compound that is the principal ingredient in most:

A) Marshmallows

B) Loose-leaf paper

C) Seashells

D) Windows

Previous answer: According to the new World Map of Happiness, the three happiest countries are all in Europe: Denmark, Switzerland and Austria.

Saturday, August 11

STAN'S WEEKLY TRIVIA CHALLENGE CONTEST NO. 45

What are the two current denominations of U.S. currency with a portrait of the same person on both sides? The watermark "security device" portrait embedded in the paper of some denominations doesn't count.

HOW TO WIN: Send your answer, with your full name and address, either by e-mail to TriviaBits@gmail.com, or on a postcard to Stan Newman's Trivia Challenge No. 45, P.O. Box 69, Massapequa Park, NY 11762. Only one submission per person, please. Answers must be received within seven days of publication. One winner will be chosen at random from all correct entries, who will receive a copy of Stan's trivia book "Assorted Trifles," courtesy of Random House. Answer and winners will be announced in a future issue.

ANSWER TO TRIVIA CHALLENGE CONTEST NO. 38

The only performer to be presented with an Academy Award on their birthday was Jennifer Jones, who received her Oscar for the 1943 film "The Song of Bernadette" on March 2, 1944, her 25th birthday. Winner: Betty McFarland of Oak Harbor, Wash.

WEEK OF AUGUST 13, 2007

Monday, August 13

Word of the week: "bafflegab." Similar to the more-familiar "gobbledygook," it is language that is pretentiously hard to understand. The word was coined by a federal employee in the 1950s to describe one particularly impenetrable passage from a governmental publication.

"Dueling state slogans" update: Thanks to Dennis Shannon of Seattle, who pointed out that in addition to Ohio's and North Carolina's license-plate slogans both referring to the Wright Brothers, so do their respective state quarters. Ohio's says "Birthplace of Aviation Pioneers" and North Carolina has "First Flight." Both coins picture the Wrights' first successful airplane.

Several varieties of bottled milk can be purchased at the typical supermarket: whole milk, "2 percent" (having 2 percent fat by volume), 1 percent and skim milk (0 percent fat). What is the typical percentage of fat by volume in whole milk?

A) 4

B) 8

C) 12

D) 16

Previous answer: The active ingredient in the Tums brand of antacid is calcium carbonate, which is the principal ingredient in most seashells.

Tuesday, August 14

New York's Long Island Ducks, a baseball team in the independent Atlantic League, have unusual-but-clever sources of advertising revenue. Their rain delays are "sponsored" by the local county water authority, and whenever a foul ball makes a noticeable sound of impact against the stadium, a brief commercial is heard for a local replacement-window company.

There are three "degrees of separation" between director Spike Lee and comedic bandleader Spike Jones. Jones appeared in the film "Fireman Save My Child" with George Cleveland (Gramps in the 1950s TV series "Lassie"), who appeared with Anthony Quinn in the De Mille film "The Plainsman," who appeared in the Spike Lee film "Jungle Fever."

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, actually had another middle name between "Arthur" and "Conan," the name of a famous saint. Sir Arthur's "first" middle name was:

A) Bernard

B) Ignatius

C) Jude

D) Bartholomew

Previous answer: Whole milk typically contains 4 percent fat by volume, so, for example, "2 percent milk" has half the fat of whole milk.

Wednesday, August 15

We know of two characters from movies and TV that were the real names of the actors who portrayed them: Merle Johnson (Troy Donahue) in "The Godfather Part II" and Imogene Burkhart (Jean Byron) in the sitcom " . . . Dobie Gillis." If you can think of any others, please let us know. (Thanks to John Beck of Redmond, Wash., for the inspiration.)

Fifty Years Ago in "TV Guide": The "Personal Pizzas for a TV Treat" article in the August 24, 1957, issue proves that the pizza-for-one concept isn't all that new. Seven recipes were presented, with toppings running from the mundane (mushrooms, sausage, bacon, etc.) to the somewhat exotic (sardines). For dough, the article suggested instant-biscuit mix.

In Greek mythology, the abduction of Helen of Troy, of "launched a thousand ships" fame, caused the Trojan War. But Helen of Troy wasn't really "of Troy"; her abductor, Paris, was a prince of Troy. Where was Helen abducted from?

A) Athens

B) Egypt

C) Carthage

D) Sparta

Previous answer: The full name of the creator of Sherlock Holmes was Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle.

Thursday, August 16

Small-town celebrity birthplace of the week: Salisbury, N.H. (current population about 1,000). Statesman/orator Daniel Webster was born there in 1782.

Baseball slugger Sammy Sosa wasn't happy when the Chicago Cubs, his former team, gave his old uniform number (21) to another player, pitcher Jason Marquis. Now with the Texas Rangers, Sosa got a double dose of revenge last June, when he hit his 600th home run against the Cubs. Guess what Cub pitcher gave up the homer? Correct!

According to Guinness World Records, the loudest sound made by an insect is made by the:

A) Grasshopper

B) Cicada

C) Honeybee

D) Cricket

Previous answer: Helen of Troy was abducted by Paris from Sparta, where she was the queen and wife of King Menelaus.

Friday, August 17

Occupation Bee: If a baker deals with baking, and a biker deals with bikes, whence "butcher" and "butler"? "Butcher" is derived from an Old French word for "he-goat" (which is related to "buck"), and "butler" comes from a word meaning "bottle handler" in Old French.

Three of our favorite clever slogans used to promote films: "All it takes is a little confidence!" ("The Sting"), "Never give a saga an even break!" ("Blazing Saddles") and our top favorite, "Everyone needs more space" ("Star Trek: Generations"). If you're familiar with any other film slogans as clever as these, please let us know.

The Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 people. The U.S. Constitution was signed by 39 people. Six people signed both the Declaration and the Constitution. Which of these colonial-era VIPs was one of those six?

A) Benjamin Franklin

B) George Washington

C) John Adams

D) Patrick Henry

According to Guinness World Records, the cicada is the loudest insect, whose mating call reaches about 107 decibels, about the same as your average chain saw.

Box 69, Massapequa Park, NY 11762.

Saturday, August 18

STAN'S WEEKLY TRIVIA CHALLENGE CONTEST NO. 46

Because at least one person (maybe two) whose resume includes the title Mayor of New York City is running for president in 2008, we offer the following: In what year was the last person who had been mayor of New York City elected to a higher office?

HOW TO WIN: Send your answer, with your full name and address, either by e-mail to TriviaBits@gmail.com, or on a postcard to Stan Newman's Trivia Challenge No. 46, P.O. Box 69, Massapequa Park, NY 11762. Only one submission per person, please. Answers must be received within seven days of publication. One winner will be chosen at random from all correct entries, who will receive a copy of Stan's trivia book "Assorted Trifles," courtesy of Random House. Answer and winners will be announced in a future issue.

ANSWER TO TRIVIA CHALLENGE CONTEST NO. 39

The only U.S. state whose full eastern and western borders are rivers is Iowa. Its eastern boundary is the Mississippi River, and the Missouri and Big Sioux Rivers form its western boundary. Winner: Henry Williams of Conyers, Ga.

WEEK OF AUGUST 20, 2007

Monday, August 20

Word of the week: "proamita." It's a legal term for a paternal great-aunt. In other words, a sister of one's grandfather.

On March 23, 1989, the 1,000-feet-in-diameter asteroid Asclepius came within about 400,000 miles of colliding with the Earth. If that doesn't sound like a close call, consider this: The asteroid passed through the precise spot where our planet had been only six hours before. About 1,000 asteroids are known to have orbits that bring them close to Earth.

Boise, the capital of Idaho (pronounced by natives "BOY-see," not "BOY-zee," by the way), is also the seat of Ada County. Idaho has a Boise County, but Boise isn't in it. None of this is at all relevant to today's Boise question: What is the correct term for a resident of Boise?

A) Boiser

B) Boisite

C) Boisean

D) Boisese

Previous answer: Benjamin Franklin was one of the six men to have signed both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. The other five are all much less known today than Ben.

Tuesday, August 21

Trivia fans of baby boomer age may remember William "Officer Obie" Obanhein, police chief of Stockbridge, Mass., and nemesis of Arlo Guthrie in the song "Alice's Restaurant," who portrayed himself in the 1969 film adaptation of the song. Obie appeared on the cover of the Sept. 20, 1958, issue of "The Saturday Evening Post" as part of a Norman Rockwell painting.

More calendar miscellany: In any particular year, the May 1st's day of the week is different from the 1st of any other month, likewise June 1st. In non-leap years, the dates of January and October (January 14th and October 14th, for example) always fall on the same days of the week. In leap years, this is true for January and July. (Thanks to Mike Contino of Concord, Calif.)

Chemically speaking, opals are composed of silicon dioxide (sand) and water. While opals are found all over the world, well over 90 percent of the world's gem-quality opals produced these days come from what country?

A) Mexico

B) Australia

C) China

D) Ireland

Previous answer: A native of Boise, Idaho, is called a Boisean.

Wednesday, August 22

Alert "Dick Van Dyke Show" fans may have noticed that the maiden name of Laura Petrie, Mary Tyler Moore's character on the show, was stated as Meeker early in the series, and Meehan later on. This was no continuity error. Moore was married to Richard Meeker when the series started; when the marriage ended in 1961, her character's maiden name was deliberately changed.

Omar Bradley (1893-1981) was the last surviving five-star general of the U.S. Army. About half of the 204 four-star generals in the history of the U.S. Army are alive at present. The oldest is centenarian Robert J. Wood (born 1905), former director of military assistance.

The premiere regular-season episode of "Columbo" was "Murder by the Book," which first aired on NBC on Sept. 15, 1971. (Two pilot episodes had been broadcast previously.) What future Oscar-winner directed Peter Falk in "Murder by the Book"?

A) Oliver Stone

B) Martin Scorsese

C) Steven Spielberg

D) Barry Levinson

Previous answer: About 97 percent of the world's gem-quality opals produced these days come from Australia.

Thursday, August 23

Small-town celebrity birthplace of the week: Ely, Nev. (current population about 4,000). First Lady Pat Nixon was born there in 1912. Well-known to crossword fans, the town has a "Ghost Train," a working steam-engine passenger train that tours the old settlements in the area.

British bookmaker Ladbrokes is already taking bets on the future career of Sam Alexis Woods, newborn daughter of golf star Tiger Woods. Playing on the LPGA Tour sometime in the future: 50 to 1; winning an LPGA event: 500 to 1; and winning an LPGA major golf championship: 1,000 to 1.

What group of people would most likely be interested in the website www.cardinals.com?

A) Bird watchers

B) Church officials

C) Baseball fans

D) Football fans

Previous answer: The premiere regular-season episode of "Columbo" was directed by Steven Spielberg.

Friday, August 24

If you've ever been to Iceland, or know that most homes in Reykjavik (Iceland's capital) are heated with geothermal energy, it won't come as a surprise that the word "geyser" is derived from the Icelandic language. Literally "to gush" in Icelandic, "Geysir" is the name of a specific erupting spring in southern Iceland that gave us the generic term.

What was "Life" like 50 years ago? In the Aug. 26, 1957, issue of the magazine, the American public got its first glimpse of San Simeon, William Randolph Hearst's legendary California estate, a year before it was opened to the public. Photos of celebrity visitors included James Stewart, Greta Garbo and Buster Keaton.

According to a sentiment attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte, what word is "only to be found in the dictionary of fools"?

A) Defeat

B) Impossible

C) Perfection

D) Forever

Previous answer: The Web site www.cardinals.com contains links of interest to bird watchers and bird owners.

Saturday, August 25

STAN'S WEEKLY TRIVIA CHALLENGE CONTEST NO. 47

What common unit of length is almost exactly equal to the average length of one minute (one-sixtieth of a degree) of latitude on the Earth's surface?

HOW TO WIN: Send your answer, with your full name and address, either by e-mail to TriviaBits@gmail.com, or on a postcard to Stan Newman's Trivia Challenge No. 47, P.O. Box 69, Massapequa Park, NY 11762. Only one submission per person, please. Answers must be received within seven days of publication. One winner will be chosen at random from all correct entries, who will receive a copy of Stan's trivia book "Assorted Trifles," courtesy of Random House. Answer and winners will be announced in a future issue.

ANSWER TO TRIVIA CHALLENGE CONTEST NO. 40

The Dominican Republic reverted back to a colony of Spain for several years in the 1860s, having been independent of Spain for the previous 40 years. Winner: Jess Stone of Lewiston, Idaho.

WEEK OF AUGUST 27, 2007

Monday, August 27

Word of the week: "jentacular." It's an adjective meaning "pertaining to breakfast," derived from the Latin verb for "to eat breakfast." Home-fried potatoes are certainly jentacular in the U.S., baked potatoes somewhat less so.

Actor Oliver Platt, who portrayed White House Counsel Oliver Babish on the TV series "The West Wing," is a third cousin of Prince Harry and Prince William of Great Britain. All three are great-great-grandchildren of American heiress Frances Work, whose father was a colleague of 19th-century transportation tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt.

The peso is the current monetary unit of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Uruguay. The word "peso" is often seen on packages of grocery goods sold in these countries. Not because of the cost of those items, but because "peso" is also the Spanish word for:

A) Cholesterol

B) Package

C) Weight

D) Open

Previous answer: According to a sentiment attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte, "Impossible is a word only to be found in the dictionary of fools."

Tuesday, August 28

A 1978 poll of viewers by "TV Guide" named the controversial Howard Cosell as the most-liked sportscaster in America. The same poll named as the least-liked sportscaster in America . . . Howard Cosell.

Colorful redundancy of color: Thanks to Ken Aiello of Lodi, Calif., who pointed out the frequent usage of excess-verbiage phrases like "blue in color" (over 300,000 Google hits) and "red in color" (over 550,000). Ken responds to people who speak such locutions with, "As opposed to what? Blue in shape? Blue in height?"

IAMS is a popular brand of dog and cat food currently owned by Procter & Gamble. How did the brand get its name?

A) From its founder, Paul Iams

B) From an anagram of "Siam," its creator's native land

C) From a random selection of word-game letters

D) From the initials of "Improved Animal Meal" plus S

Previous answer: "Peso" is the Spanish word for "weight." The word appears on packages of grocery goods sold in Spanish-speaking countries, usually in the phrase "peso neto," "net weight" in English.

Wednesday, August 29

The title "world's largest delivered pizza" is claimed by the 11-pound, 28-inch Pointersaurus, the specialty of Pointer's Pizza in suburban St. Louis. If you and one partner can eat it all, on the premises within one hour, you'll collect a $500 prize, which has been claimed only six times in hundreds of attempts.

Actor Will Geer, best known for his Grandpa role on the TV series "The Waltons," was a social activist who was with Woody Guthrie when he wrote the tune "This Land Is Your Land." Geer had a degree in botany; the grounds of the open-air theater he founded in Southern California contain every plant mentioned in the works of Shakespeare.

"Time" magazine has presented its Man/Person of the Year award annually since 1927, during the administration of Calvin Coolidge. From then until now, there have been 14 U.S. presidents. How many of those 14 were never a "Time" Man/Person of the Year?

A) None

B) 1

C) 3

D) 5

Previous answer: The IAMS brand of pet food was named for its founder, animal nutritionist Paul Iams.

Thursday, August 30

Small-town celebrity birthplace of the week: Springhill, Nova Scotia (current population about 3,000). Singer Anne Murray was born there in 1945. Springhill's Anne Murray Centre features exhibits related to her career, including many of her gold and platinum records.

The Bird/Flower Mystery: Sandy Lawrence of El Sobrante, Calif., points out the Spanish word "alcatraz" can mean "calla lily" as well as "pelican" (as mentioned in a recent column). Sandy remembers calla lilies once being plentiful on Alcatraz Island, and wonders if the island might have been named for the flower instead of the bird. If you can shed any light on this, please let us know.

According to an indisputably authoritative source (the company's own Web site), what was the first item ever auctioned off on eBay, in 1995?

A) A ham sandwich

B) A broken laser pointer

C) A typewriter

D) A comic book

Previous answer: Since "Time" magazine instituted its Man/Person of the Year Award in 1927, it has gone to all but three U.S. presidents: Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover and Gerald Ford.

Friday, August 31

Is the word "rugged" (as in "strong" or "tough") related to "rug"? Yes, actually. Both words are derived from a Swedish word meaning "roughen," as cloth. One more connection between the two words: a now-obsolete meaning of "rugged" is "shaggy."

Its current South America-only natural habitat notwithstanding, llamas originated on the North American continent some 40 million years ago. As recently as 25,000 years ago, a now-extinct species of llama could be commonly found from modern-day California to Florida.

For over 500 years, the motto of the Prince of Wales has been "I serve." Well, not exactly. "I serve" is the English meaning of the Prince of Wales' motto, which is actually in what language?

A) Latin

B) Welsh

C) Scottish

D) German

Previous answer: The first item ever auctioned off on eBay in 1995, according to the company's own Web site, was a broken laser pointer that belonged to eBay founder Pierre Omidyar.

Saturday, September 1

STAN'S WEEKLY TRIVIA CHALLENGE CONTEST NO. 48

Through the films of 2006, a total of 32 performers have won exactly two Academy Awards. Of those, who is the only performer whose two Oscar performances were directed by the same person?

HOW TO WIN: Send your answer, with your full name and address, either by e-mail to TriviaBits@gmail.com, or on a postcard to Stan Newman's Trivia Challenge No. 48, P.O. Box 69, Massapequa Park, NY 11762. Only one submission per person, please. Answers must be received within seven days of publication. One winner will be chosen at random from all correct entries, who will receive a copy of Stan's trivia book "Assorted Trifles," courtesy of Random House. Answer and winners will be announced in a future issue.

ANSWER TO TRIVIA CHALLENGE CONTEST NO. 41

The title character of the longest American feature film series (with continuing characters) of all time is Blondie Bumstead. A total of 28 Blondie films were released from 1938 to 1950. Winner: Gerald Washington of Kent, Wash.

Stanley Newman is the editor of the Newsday Crossword and author/editor of more than 100 books on crosswords, word games and trivia, including "10,000 Answers: The Ultimate Trivia Encyclopedia" (Random House). To find out more about Stanley Newman visit StanXwords.com, or e-mail him at StanTrivia@aol.com

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Week Of August 6, 2007